The role of Fgf9 in mouse pancreas development [scRNA-seq]

Temporally and spatially coordinated epithelial–mesenchymal interactions are central to the development of the primitive gut tube endoderm and are necessary to form functional organs of the gastrointestinal tract, including the pancreas. Here, we examined the functional role of the secreted factor Fgf9 in murine pancreatic development. Single-cell RNA-sequencing was performed on embryonic day (E) 14.5 mouse pancreas from both wildtype and Fgf9 knockout embryos. Our data reveal shifts in cellular populations upon loss of Fgf9. In addition, we have identified specific transcriptional programs and signaling pathways perturbed in the context of loss of Fgf9 during pancreatic development. Overall design: We profiled embryonic pancreas from Fgf9-LacZ mice (3 pancreata from 3 litters pooled into a single Null sample), in which a LacZ cassette has been inserted into the Fgf9 locus, rendering it a functional knockout. Fgf9 replete littermates (8 pancreata from 3 litters pooled into a single Control sample) served as corresponding control.